Taking in an outdoors show much like many of us do in the offseason, Alabama resident David Pasqualotto and his 17-year-old son Michael met the acquaintance of a supposed outfitter promising the hunt of a lifetime.
Advertising both Missouri and Iowa rifle and bow hunts; the pair was approached by a seemingly jovial and friendly outfitter by the name of Andy Wulf, who had a booth and was accompanied by his apparent 17-year-old nephew. The pair were representing Wulf’s operation known as Whitetail Ridge Outfitters.
Doing a fair bit of hunting locally in Alabama, Pasqualotto was immediately intrigued by the promise of acres upon acres of pristine Midwest whitetail country and big antlered deer. As the conversation progressed, Michael and Wulf’s stand-in nephew began to trade stories and really hit it off, later exchanging phone numbers.
With the prospect of his son joining the military to serve his country, David was growing more and more interested in booking one last hunt with his son, despite some nagging reservations he had in the back of his mind.
As a 26-year veteran of Federal Law Enforcement, David was no stranger to criminal activity, remaining vigilant before eventually placing a deposit with Wulf for him and his son.
“We got home and my son kept pressing me about the hunt, but something in the back of my mind was just not right,” said Pasqualotto. “I had some other concerns, so I traded a couple more phone calls with Andy, and I guess I heard what I wanted to hear, so I went ahead and sent him a $2,500 deposit for two rifle hunts for Missouri.”
A remaining balance of $2,500 would be due when the Pasqualotto’s arrived at Wulf’s camp on the eve of the hunt.
A couple of weeks later, David’s son Michael called him with some very unsettling news after doing a Google search for their prospective hunting guide.
“At that point, my heart sank,” Pasqualotto told us.
What his son found was a plethora of bad reviews, hatred, and stories of a smooth talking, narcissistic criminal posing as a reputable outfitter. Acting on his years of developed instincts, David attempted to get in contact with Wulf, hopeful that he would be able to recover his deposit.
Crickets.
It was not until an email sent on October 28th that David received a response from Wulf, apologizing for the delay, and promising to call him later in the day to discuss. Another week passed without a response, prompting David to once again reach out via email on November 5th.
The email read:
It is clear you are running something less that a reputable operation. You have refused to return my calls after 3 weeks. Deer season opens next week and I have no clue as to where you are located. I believe I have been scammed and my son is heartbroken (part of the deposit was money my son saved for college). Please refund my $2500 immediately. I will be seeking legal action come Monday to check my options unless I hear from you that my money is being returned… Additionally, you have failed to disclose that you have been previously arrested for illegal baiting. Had I known that I would have never booked a trip for me and my son.
Much to his surprise, a response came the very next day from Wulf, reading:
I am not scamming you in any way. Sorry for the delay in response. I have been running hunts. I will issue you a refund if that is what you want. I will issue by Nov 19th as it will be coming out of money from remaining balances hunters are bringing to camp with them. Signed (Andy Wulf)
November 29th arrived, and much to his dismay, Pasqualotto received a check in the mail totaling $4950, an amount much larger than he was owed, a common tactic of con-men and shady individuals. In such cases, the sender will often cite a mistake, asking for the difference to be refunded back to them. Unbeknownst to the receiver, the check would inevitably bounce, and cost the victim additional money.
This was not the case with Pasqualotto, who diligently held the check until it cleared, which it never did.
The next logical steps lead David to his local District Attorney’s Office, who instructed him to notify Wulf, once again, that his check was bad via certified mail. Once completed, they would then contact him and attempt to collect the funds, and if unsuccessful, would issue an arrest warrant for issuing faulty checks, a felony charge.
In addition to the District Attorney, Pasqualotto made contact with a local law enforcement officer in Iowa.
“I wish you would have called me before you sent him any money,” the officer told him.
Recalling roughly six years of complaints, the officer disclosed more tales of deceit and deception including burnt-down hunting lodges, abandoned hunters, cow wrestling, thousands of dollars worth of fraud and a bad check for a brand-new pickup truck.
The conversation led Pasqualotto to social media where his daughter helped him set up a Facebook page, where even more stories began to pile up.
“My phone started burning up, people were calling me, telling me their horror stories about being defrauded,” Pasqualotto said. “Some of the stories were pretty sad, guys flying or driving in for miles and Andy just leaving them there.”
It was January 18, 2017, when Wulf was finally arrested on charges of theft in the first degree, a Class C felony as well as ongoing criminal conduct, a Class B felony, and was being held on a $25,000 cash bond. His preliminary hearing was held on January 26ths in Bloomfield, IA where it was waived, and deemed bound to the district court.
Despite the terrible taste in his mouth, Pasqualotto has been absolutely floored by the support of both the local law enforcement officers as well as hunters and outfitters from across the country.
“The people have been great,” Pasqualotto said. “I can’t stress enough about how helpful the people of Iowa, including local outfitters, have been about this movement to get Andy arrested.”
Having been offered discounted hunts and even a free fishing trip for him and his son, Pasqualotto told us the response from law-abiding outfitting organizations has floored him. He hopes his experience does not negatively affect outfitters but does hope his tale and the many others like it lead more hunters to do their homework when booking their next hunt.
Wulf remains in the Davis County jail.